featuring The Luxury Pushers and J.J. Pearson
Sam’s Saloon, 1640 E. Prospect St.
Friday, Dec. 21, 9 p.m., 21+

With Christmas approaching, the inevitability of being around family and being on your best behavior is looming on the horizon. No matter how old you are, it can be difficult not to cuss, drink or mosh when around extended family members. The best remedy for this kind of behavior is to get it out of your system beforehand.

Sam’s Saloon in Fountain Square is the place to go to shake out your pre-Christmas jitters. Next Friday, Sam’s is hosting a Punk Rock and Roll Christmas party. If you’re not familiar with Sam’s, don’t feel bad; it only recently began putting on shows, but don’t waste time making your way down there.

Headlining the Christmas party are Dayton, Ohio, punk rockers The Luxury Pushers. The Pushers combine old-school punk and hardcore with ’50s-era rock ’n’ roll. Their sound is comparable to Queens of the Stone Age or The Cramps, or even local act State. Minimalist drumming and solid bass lines provide the rhythm for soaring guitars and snarling vocals. If you don’t dig the punk anthem “Poster Child” (off of the band’s 2003 Eat It EP), then you just don’t like punk rock.

Also playing Friday night will be local punk rock royalty J.J. Pearson. Sure, J.J. may be old, but his heart and soul are firmly rooted in the energy of ’80s punk and hardcore. Having worked with the likes of Toxic Reasons (also of Dayton, Ohio) and drumming legend Chuck Biscuits (see the first three Danzig albums), J.J. has a history that most punks could only dream of.

So if you’re looking for a way to vent those punk rock spasms before embarrassing yourself in front of grandma on Christmas Eve, just mosey on down to Sam’s Saloon Friday night.